Three Things to Watch After the Bye for the Jets

Here are three things to watch for the Jets over the final six games of the season.

1. The Quarterback Position: Ryan Fitzpatrick may or may not start more games for this team. Either way, he is extremely unlikely to be part of the team in 2017. There are, however, a pair of young quarterbacks under contract in Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg. Petty likely will get more starts. How will he look? Can he justify a spot on the team for 2017. If he struggles, will Hackenberg even get a look? If the team does not think Hackenberg is ready to see the field even for a limited stretch, the Jets could conceivably be in the market for a quarterback early in the 2017 Draft once again.
2. Potential Changes: Even if the Jets don’t go to extremes and make a change at head coach or general manager, there are a lot of jobs on the line over the last six weeks. Can Darrelle Revis salvage anything in what has been a terrible season? Can potential cap casualties like Marcus Gilchrist play their way off the bubble? Can the coordinators parlay a strong finish into saving their jobs? And given how unpredictable the Jets can be, who knows whether a bad finish could mean more radical changes?
3. Can the Defensive Line Fit? One of the most frustrating parts of this season has been the underachieving defensive line. While high profile players outside Leonard Williams have underperformed, part of the blame has to go to the way the coaches have utilized their puzzle pieces, Sheldon Richardson in particular. Instead of using schemes that could maximize the usefulness of these dynamic players, we have seen Richardson frequently move around to spots where he is a fish out of water. Can the Jets start deploying their resources better? There surely are ways to maximize three talented 300 pound linemen.